Multiple Intelligences: Theory and Practice in Adult ESL. ERIC Digest.

The theory of multiple intelligences (MI) broadens the traditional view of intelligence as solely composed of verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical abilities. MI theory maintains that all humans have at least eight different intelligences that represent a variety of ways to learn and demonstrate understanding. This digest underlines the basic tenets of MI theory and describes how it has been applied in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults. MI theory is not a prescribed teaching method, curriculum, or technique, but a way of understanding intelligence that teachers can use as a guide for developing classroom activities that address multiple ways of learning and knowing. Broadly speaking, teachers have developed four ways of using MI theory in the adult ESL classroom: (1) as a tool to help students develop a better understanding and appreciation of their own strengths and learning preferences; (2) as a tool to develop better understanding of learners' intelligences; (3) as a guide to provide greater variety of ways for students to learn and to demonstrate their learning; and (4) as a guide to develop lesson plans that address the full range of learner needs. Teachers who use MI theory to inform their curriculum development find that they gain a deeper understanding of their students' learning preferences and a greater appreciation of their strengths, which generally results in higher levels of student engagement. Students' increased engagement and success in learning stimulates teachers to raise their expectations, initiating a powerful expectation-response cycle that can lead to greater achievement levels for all. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (KFT)